Apple Issues New Update for iPhone and Mac

Apple has released security updates to defend several of its products from the recently discovered “Spectre” vulnerability. New software updates are available for iOS and Mac OS devices as well for the Safari browser.

The tech giant just released a security patch for iPhones and iPads — this time in response to the "Spectre" vulnerability that first made headlines last week.

The information security industry was shaken last week when two security flaws were discovered, dubbed "Spectre" and "Meltdown," which  originated from chips made by Intel and ARM.  

The vulnerabilities  can be found in a number of computing products released in the last two decades. Apple confirmed on Thursday that the security flaws also affected its iOS and Mac devices, and it was already working on software fixes to protect against the vulnerabilities.

In a statement on its blog, Apple recommended that iOS and Mac users refrain from downloading applications outside of the Apple App Store, as the real threat of Spectre and Meltdown comes when users install malicious applications. 

Users with eligible devices should find the update in their phone's settings under General, then Software Update. The latest Apple update, iOS 11.2.2, is now available for the iPhone 5S and later and iPad Air and later.

The vulnerabilities could allow a hacker to steal information stored in the memory of a wide range of computer chips running on personal devices. That applies not just to computers and phones, but also the servers in data centers, including those used to run cloud computing services.

Last week, Alphabet Inc’s Google and other security researchers also disclosed two major chip flaws, one called Meltdown affecting only Intel Corp chips and one called Spectre, that left computing devices vulnerable to hackers.

"For our customers' protection, Apple doesn't disclose, discuss, or confirm security issues until an investigation has occurred and patches or releases are available," the company said on its website. 

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